New evidence submission portal highlights October meeting focused on technology and crime prevention

PORT ALLEN — The Port Allen Police Department rolled out a new digital evidence submission portal at the October 29th Neighborhood Watch meeting, giving residents an anonymous way to share photos and videos that could help solve crimes.

Detective Alaric Celestine demonstrated the Axon-powered platform that allows community members to upload security camera footage, suspicious activity photos, and other evidence directly to investigators through a simple QR code or web link.

"Some people may not want to send text messages, so what we already have in place as a department is we have a digital evidence platform," Celestine explained to the group. "You can use this QR code, take a picture of it, have it right there on your phone."

How the Portal Works

The system requires only an email address or phone number to get started — first and last names are optional for those who want to remain anonymous. After scanning the QR code or visiting the web portal, users receive a text or email with a secure link.

The platform includes verification steps to prevent abuse, then allows uploads directly from a phone's camera roll, computer files, or real-time photos of incidents in progress.

"It generates an email to let somebody know, hey, look, something's been submitted in this web portal," Celestine said. "Anybody in investigations can go, or even the Captain of Uniform Patrol can go and look through your submissions."

The tool proved its worth in a recent case. After Port Allen PD investigated a vehicle airbag theft — initially appearing to be an isolated incident with zero similar reports across multiple parishes — communication at a regional intelligence meeting led to another agency reporting a matching crime months later.

"We put our heads together, got a guy arrested within a week, interviewed him," Celestine said. "He admitted to stealing both airbags and said he learned it on TikTok."

That case demonstrated how one small piece of evidence can prevent a trend before it spreads.

Cybersecurity Awareness Takes Center Stage

With October designated as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, community member Anthony Summers provided residents with practical digital safety tips — advice that proved especially timely as the holiday season approaches.

Summers' presentation covered essential protections many residents overlook:

Keep devices updated: Phone and computer updates aren't just about new features — they patch security vulnerabilities that hackers actively exploit. "A lot of people don't like to update their phone because they change things and move things," Summers noted. "But when you don't update your devices, your device is vulnerable to what they call zero-day vulnerabilities."

Use strong, unique passwords: Summers recommended password managers like LastPass or NordVPN that generate and store complex passwords. "Most of my passwords are at least 16 characters with a combination of capital letters, numbers, and special characters," he said. "There's no way I'm going to remember all that."

The key principle: never use the same password across multiple accounts, especially for banking and email.

Enable multi-factor authentication: While it adds an extra step to logging in, multi-factor authentication dramatically improves security by requiring a second verification method beyond just passwords.

Recognize phishing attempts: Suspicious emails often contain telltale signs — spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, urgent language, and sender addresses that don't quite match legitimate organizations. "If it's too good to be true, it probably ain't," Summers warned.

Lock credit files: Residents can freeze their credit reports for free through all three major credit bureaus, preventing identity thieves from opening fraudulent accounts. While slightly inconvenient when making major purchases, it's far better than discovering unexpected loans or bills.

Community Policing Pays Off

The meeting highlighted tangible results from the "see something, say something" approach that Port Allen PD has been cultivating.

One resident on Avenue G reported success after months of persistent reporting about suspected drug activity. "After being very diligent on stuff going on on our street and constantly reporting and probably driving the call people crazy, our neighbor did get arrested," she told the group.

The case represented the seventh or eighth consecutive resident at that address arrested for drug-related activity, prompting discussions about potential nuisance property designations.

A lieutenant from the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office praised the persistence: "That's one of the biggest things that we want from you guys. If there's anything you see, let us know. Even if we can't do something about it right away, don't think we're not working on it."

Ferry Landing also saw improvements after residents reported concerns about vehicles parking at odd hours. Increased patrol presence — particularly officers using their blue cruise lights to signal active monitoring — resulted in a noticeable decrease in the problem.

"There hasn't been as much parking in the wee hours of the night like there was going on there for a while," one resident reported, praising the visible deterrent effect.

Holiday Safety Warnings

As Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas approach, Assistant Chief Revay Smith and Detective Celestine emphasized vigilance against scams that target elderly residents and holiday shoppers.

One community member shared concerns about sophisticated schemes in local parking lots where friendly strangers strike up conversations with older shoppers, then request rides home or try to follow them.

"They're here in Port Allen, and a lot of times y'all won't get the reports because it's embarrassing to a whole person when they've been taking their money," she explained. "Don't make no new friends this time of year."

Celestine acknowledged that many victims don't file reports due to embarrassment, making community awareness even more critical. "Even if they don't want to be identified in a report, you can still call us and give us the information," he said.

Officers also warned about:

• Gift card payment scams (IRS and legitimate agencies never request gift cards)
• Phone spoofing attempts impersonating tech companies or banks
• Increased vehicle break-ins at shopping centers during the holidays
• Parking lot schemes targeting people returning to cars with purchases

Celestine shared his own experience with a fake "Google Security" call about suspicious cryptocurrency purchases — complete with a British accent for authenticity. By staying on the line to understand the scam's methodology, he learned the caller was fishing for account reset credentials.

"Google security is not going to call you on the telephone to talk to you about incidents with your account," he confirmed. "They're going to use their own measures — they have your email address, they're going to email you."

Meeting Information

The Neighborhood Watch meetings are moving from Wednesday to Tuesday nights to avoid conflicts with Planning and Zoning sessions and the popular bingo night at Jack's Place.

The next meeting is scheduled for November 18th, with future meetings planned for the third Tuesday of each month.

Community members interested in joining the Neighborhood Watch can attend the next meeting. The digital evidence submission portal information will be posted on the Port Allen Police Department's Facebook page and lobby doors.

The Port Allen Neighborhood Watch meets monthly to discuss community safety concerns and coordinate with local law enforcement. Meetings are open to all residents.